We caught up with Arviat's Wellness Media Team members Shelton Nipisar and Corinna Tugak, Amy Owingayak, Curtis Konek and Patrick Pingushat at the Arviat Community Learning Centre where they're hard at work on the Qaujigiartitt Health Research Centre's Atii Game Show project. It's also a reunion of sorts for Amy, Curtis and Patrick. The three members of the highly-successful Nanisiniq Arviat History Project the trio are back in action mentoring a new group of students with the youth participatory action, new social media and communications elements of the Atii Game Show health research and the Arviat Community Greenhouse initiative.

From bird banding and laboratory technology, to mapping, traditional knowledge and environmental science, summer research seasons in Nunavut are filled with opportunities for students from a variety of fields and levels to combine learning outside the classroom with the adventures of a lifetime.

Join us this week as we meet some of the many youth researchers working and learning as members on the many research projects that take place all across Nunavut every summer. Today we meet the students of the Arviat Wellness Media Team.

Meet the Arviat Wellness Media Team

We caught up with Arviat's Wellness Media Team members Shelton Nipisar and Corinna Tugak, Amy Owingayak, Curtis Konek and Patrick Pingushat at the Arviat Community Learning Centre where they're hard at work on the Qaujigiartitt Health Research Centre's Atii Game Show project.

The Atii project is one of nine projects under the Government of Canada's Innovation Strategy: Achieving Healthier Weights in Canada’s Communities. The funding was announced July 8, 2013 by former federal Minister of Health and Member of Parliament for Nunavut, the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq.

Over the summer, the student team will explore visual science communication and media studies to communicate healthy messages to youth using a variety of approaches including posters, video production, podcasting and blogging. They'll also be conducting interviews with the community's Elders and sharing their stories using Inuktitut and English.

“This project is important to Arviat because many young Inuit students from our community are able to learn about careers in environmental science, health promotion, media communications and technologies,” said Shelton, a grade 12 student at Arviat's John Arnalukjuak High School.

It's also a reunion of sorts for Amy, Curtis and Patrick. The three members of the highly-successful SSHRC-funded Nanisiniq Arviat History Project with the University of British Columbia School of Social Work are back in action mentoring a new group of students with the youth participatory action, new social media and communications elements of the Atii Game Show health research and the Arviat Community Greenhouse initiative.

Funding for the project is being provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre and the Hamlet of Arviat's Wellness Committee, with support from the Hamlet of Arviat, Nunavut Arctic College, the Nunavut Research Institute, Arviat Film Society and Arviat Cultural Eco-Tourism (ACE) initiative.

The Nunavut Research Institute

The Nunavut Research Institute’s mandate is to develop, facilitate, and promote scientific research as a resource for the well being of people in Nunavut.

The core objectives of the Institute are to:

Coordinate the research licensing process under the Nunavut Scientists Act;

Support the meaningful involvement of Nunavut residents in scientific research, including advancing the incorporation of Inuit Qaujimanituqangit in research design;

Promote the development and application of new technology to improve the quality of life of Nunavummiut;

Help broker research projects and partnerships that meet the needs of Nunavut residents

Provide a clearing house of information on scientific research conducted in Nunavut;

Organize, facilitate, and promote research training and outreach programs designed to enhance awareness and build local research capacity in Nunavut.

For more information on the Nunavut Research Institute, visit their web site at: http://www.nri.nu.ca